Chocolate Strawberry Baked Alaska

Mmmmm..... frozen ice-cream and cake is a perfect cool down from the relentless heat. And when you add a bruleed meringue it cranks up the presentation to adult sophistication.

A few notes:

1.You can form your ice cream cake in any mold you desire. Just make sure to line it with plastic wrap for easy removal. For this recipe I used 4 inch springform pans. If you use a springform pan you can skip the plastic wrap

2. Baked Alaska’s are generally covered in meringue all the way around and then either baked in the oven or bruleed.. I opted to only cover the top and use a kitchen torch to brulee the meringue and cover the sides with chocolate sprinkles.

3. If you decide to only cover the top use a kitchen torch otherwise you will have a hot mess in your oven.

4. If you are short on time you can always use boxed cake mix and store bought ice cream. That's what I did. I just wasn't feeling like spending a long time in the kitchen. Trust me, no one will be able to tell the difference. They will be too busy shoveling into their mouth.

Chocolate Cake
4 large eggs
2/3 cup of flour
¼ cup almond meal
2 ½ tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup sugar, plus tablespoon
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Separate eggs, leaving yolks in one bowl and whites in another.

2. Combine flour, almond meal, unsweetened cocoa powder and light brown sugar. Set aside.

3. Add ½ cup of the sugar to the egg yolks and beat until lemon in color. Stir dry mixture from step 2.

4. Add salt to egg whites and beat until stiff peaks hold. Add remaining tablespoon and beat to combine.

5. Using a spatula gently fold whites into cocoa –yolk mixture until blended.

6. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake for 7-8 minutes.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Yields 1 ½ quarts

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

2 vanilla beans split and seeds scraped out or 2 teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract
Pinch of salt

1/4, 1/2 cup granulated sugar

5 large egg yolks

1 pint (basket) organic strawberries

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Placed rinsed, hulled and chopped the strawberries in a bowl. Add the ¼ cup of sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract and toss to mix. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of the mixture and transfer to the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.

2. In a medium saucepan add milk, sugar and a pinch of salt. Over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally warm the mixture until small bubbles begin to form on the edge. Remove from heat. Stir in scraped seeds and emptied vanilla bean. Let steep covered for an hour.

3. Create an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water. Place a smaller bowl inside. Pour half of cream mixture into small bowl. Place a strainer on top of bowl. Set aside.

4. Whisk egg yolks in a separate bowl. Set aside. Reheat other half of cream mixture until bubbles form on the edge. With one hand pour warmed mixture over egg yolks, use your other hand to constantly whisk eggs, so they do not curdle.

5. Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Make sure to scrape the bottom with a rubber spatula as you do so. Continue to stir until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon and holds a line drawn through with your fingers, approximately 4-8 minutes or use an instant read thermometer and bring the mixture to 175-180 degrees F.

6. Once mixture achieves proper consistency or temperature, pour warmed mixture over the strainer into the cold mixture. Cool newly combined mixture over ice until it reaches 70 degrees F. Refrigerate until chill for at least 4hours.

7. Transfer mixture to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Slowly add the strawberry mixture during the last 5 minutes of churning. Freeze when completed.

Meringue Frosting

4 large eggs (room temperature)
1/8 cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Beat eggs and cream tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form.
2. Slowly add sugar and beat on high. Meringue is ready for piping when stiff peaks form.

Assembly:

1. Prepare pan with plastic wrap if you are not using a springform pan.

2. Place one layer of cake on the bottom followed by a layer of ice cream. Repeat this step to desired cake height.

3. Using a tip to pipe or a icing spatula, spread meringue all around the cake to desired finish. Then brulee with a kitchen torch or use the oven and bake the cake at 475 degrees F for approximately 6-7 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. 


Adapted from Bakers Royale